Still pohto taken from a video presentation at Monday's city council meeting.

By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

Wolves Athletics Club hoping to see upgrades to Legion Field facilities

Jul 15, 2022 | 6:00 AM

The Peace Country Wolves Athletics Club is hoping to host the 2024 Alberta high school track and field championships but says the facilities at Legion Field will have to be upgraded before that can happen.

The work would be done in phases. The first phase, upgrades to the media tower, are already in the city budget for this year and are underway.

Phase 2 would see things like the fencing, bleachers and some competition areas upgraded at a cost the club estimates at close to $346,000 with the hope it would be done by the summer of next year.

Club executive director and associate head coach Christopher Nelissen says they are mostly focusing on the jumping areas.

“The long jump, triple jump and pole vault area is running uphill or downhill depending on which direction you are going which is unsafe for all athletes using that area but especially the pole vaulters.

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“They are running with a very large pole uphill in this scenario to plant in a small box. If there is a skip or a jump, there could be large injuries.”

Nelissen says the club would also repaint the lines on the track at no cost to the city. He adds the club can apply for a Community Facility Enhancement Program grant of $124,999 to help pay some of the cost.

Council has asked administration to look into what work would be needed to bring the facilities up to Alberta Schools Athletics Association standards and report back to fall budget talks.

Nelissen is hoping the public and the city would look at this as an opportunity for the businesses in Grande Prairie.

“When 800 to 1000 athletes come from all over the province to our neck of the woods and they use our city facilities such as the Eastlink Centre when they are not competing or they go shopping at the Prairie Mall or they go visit shops downtown, that will all benefit the community that way.”

Nelissen says Phase 3 would include a new storage shed and new equipment the club would pay for itself at a cost of $83,0000. That would happen next year or in 2024.

Phase 4 would include resurfacing the track and adding a steeplechase pit. The estimated cost of that is $300,000 with a timeline of 2027 for completion.

“We would look at more grants again. We would look for grants that do not need to be matching but also again, we would look at matching grants as this would benefit not only our club and the sport of track and field, but it will benefit the city as well,” adds Nelissen.

The city has not yet approved any funding for Phases 2 or 4.

Upgrades to the media tower at Legion Field are already underway. The city put $120,000 in this year’s budget for that work.